Long thought of as the impossible climb in Yosemite, the Dawn Wall (so named because of the way the dawn light hits the face) is a featureless vertical wall that has never been free climbed simply because there is nothing to hold on to and the sheer difficulty of what is involved. But for the last 7 years, it has been the obsession of veteran climber Caldwell, having failed on 3 previous attempts with his climbing partner Jorgeson, due to bad weather and injuries.
- Caldwell is a certified bad ass. He cut off his left-hand index finger with a table saw while doing home renovations, had it surgically reattached but was told it would have limited sensitivity and mobility to allow for climbing, so he had it removed again. Dude is climbing a mountain where finger holds are literally the width of a dime, sans a finger!
Even more amazing is the very real story of how he survived a kidnapping by armed bandits in Kyrgyzstan. While climbing with 3 friends in Kyrgyzstan, they were shot at by bandits who instructed them to climb down and then held as hostages. Having come under fire by the Kyrgyzstan army, the bandits split up, leaving the climbers alone with a single armed guard. Seizing the opportunity, Caldwell grabbed the gun of the lone guard and pushed him off the side of a cliff, thereby making their escape!
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Back on topic, Caldwell and Jorgeson started their current attempt at freeing the Dawn Wall on Dec. 27th. This week, Caldwell completed the hardest 14th and 15th pitches out of the total 32 pitches of the 3000 foot climb. However, Jorgeson failed mulitple times on the 15th pitch which involves a particularly difficult traverse using razor sharp holds only a few millimetres wide. Having torn holes into bloody fingers, he had to retreat and wait for his fingers to heal. Caldwell moved on ahead up to pitch 20, but determined to finish as a team, has since focused on supporting his partner in getting Jorgeson past pitch 15. Yesterday on new fingers, Jorgeson finally completed the 15th pitch.
As of now, they are now clear of the hardest pitches on the route so with some luck they should be able to complete their ascent. Though nothing is yet guaranteed, they are still facing the real possibility of injuries and poor weather.
NYTimes 3D Tour of The Dawn Wall (Cool interactive tour)
National Geographic Article (Good article for the layman about how they are accomplishing the climb)
Latest Updates
A little Dawn Wall history with Caldwell:
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Kevin Jorgeson's Video Diary
